Crystal River current., 1887-04-23

TO jealousy, sheer Jealousy. Iho fact
is" rising and drawing on her glov es
1--WE all envy you. I wore my sweetes t
smile for John Vernon in vain for
more than a year. and Belle Hunter
gave UP the only chance she had to 90
abroad, thinking that he would surely
ask her to marry him, but he didn't.
Well, Imust be going. suppose it is
quite useless to ask you to come and
see me soon, for now that you've sgot
home you'll be too utterly happy to
care for the society of your old
friends"
Il shall never be too busy nor too
happy to see my old friends" said
Mildred warmly, though her face still
wore troubled look, "Tell me, Liz
zie," she added, suddenly. do all my
old friends predict that I shall not be
happyP'
Didn't say we were all full of envy
and jealousy? You are not really vcxed
with Inc. are you, Milly? You still
count me as your best friend?"
Until you prove an enemy. said
Mildred, lightly, not answering the
first question.
Miss Lay was little vain, little
SlldIlOW' anu y CT bob stb HctI anu
when she parted with Mildred that
of the sting her thoughtless words had
left behind.
Alone Mildred asked herself for the
first time in her life how it was posi-
Bile that she had ever tolerated the
young girl who had just left In her
present state of mind it seemed prepos-
ferrous that she should have entertained
even the slightest feeling of friendship
for such creature. She remembered
with IL feeling of self contempt that un-
til now she had looked upon Lizzie Lay
as her warmest and truest friend. yet
why should ! worry over the senseless
chatter of n silly, frivolous girl?' she
asked herself, as she went back to her
pretty room, and taking a book, sat
down by the window to read, and the
first thing her eyes fell upon was the
words From John to Helen" written
in her husbands bold hand on the fly
leaf.
'.Hcr bookn' she said, feeling sud-
den pang of jealous pain for which she
could hardly have accounted, and al
most unanimously she laid the book
aside.
They had been school mates, Mildred
Lawson and Lizzie Lay; had spent their
common vacation together, either at
Mildreds home, or in the pretty little
western town where Lizzie resided. 1t
was at the latter's home that Mildred
had formed the acquaintance of John
Vernon, and after Il short courtship
consented to become his wife. 1t was
a matter of much surprise to Mildred's
friends when it became u settled fact
that she was to marry Mr.. Vernon.
Knowing her strong aversion to wild
overs. and her rather eccentric notions
upon the subject of marriage, it is not
strange that many wondered at her
choice, though it is quite probable that
envy was at the bottom of much of the
gossip. For years mothers had schem-
ed and planned. and daughters had
worn their sweetest smiles, in order to
captivate John Vernon, but he had
been proof against all until he met Mil
dred Lawson. Then those who had
concluded that he would never marry
again were obliged TO acknowledge
that. however faithful he had seemed
to be to the memory of his dead wife,
he was certainly deeply in love with
Mildred
Mildred had been wife four months
quite long enough to begin to realize
that marriage meant something more
than a beautiful home over which no
shadow would ever fall, and husband
who would always be blind to her
faults; and perhaps she would have
realized it sooner had it not been that
Immediately after her marriage she had
been hurried into vortex of gaiety.
visiting and sightseeing. which left her
no time for reflection. So she had con-
tinued to view life. married life at least,
through rose-colored spectacles, until
Mss Lays visit. two days after the
homecoming. Then it seemed that her
eyes were suddenly opened to the fact.
that, as John Vernon wife, she would
be constantly reminded in a hundred
different ways, that not only was she
her husbands second choice, but that
she occupied the second place in his
heart
Il should have thought of all this
before l consented to marry him." she
told herself bitterly, her eyes wander
ing, in spite of herself. to the portrait
on the wall. ''And yet he might have
spared me the pain of finding some-
thing every day 10 remind me OF her,"
she added, with childish unreasonable
ness, forgetting that only a little Whlle
ago she had protested that it was her
wish that nothing should be changed
about the house. John should not
have married such foolish, jealous
hearted girl" she mused, with sudden
revusion of feeling, as she drummed
dismally on the window-pane, against
which a heavy rain had commenced to
patter. The day was dark and gloomy,
quite in keeping with her dismal
thoughts, though only this morning
she had called herself the happiest wo-
man in the world! How true it is that
the veriest trifles make up the sum of
human happiness or woe! Because of
a few careless words. spoken in half
jest. Mildred wandered aimlessly from
hundred perplexing questions. until
h,,; nd rt rliRo aahQI onH oh